kitchen p-trap disintegrated-floor/water damage

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Oct 6th, 2020 11:47 am

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Oct 4th, 2020 7:41 am

bernierydes [OP]: Banned; Sep 30, 2020; 66 posts; 76 upvotes

Oct 4th, 2020 7:41 am

kitchen p-trap disintegrated-floor/water damage

hey everyone.
last night i noticed my floor was wet in the kitchen.
as i tried to determine the cause of the water leak, I found that a small hole had developed in the kitchen sing P-trap (j-trap). The copper/brass has corroded enough that a small hole was letting water leak through.
This must have been happening for a few days at least, cause I only felt the water in the floor yesterday.

anyway, I fixed the p-trap, but now my laminate flooring is "buckling". I have a heater blowing on it to help evaporate some of the water, but I fear that it's too late for these guys. even after they shrink up and lose the excess water, I don't see them going back to normal.

so I'm debating if I should make an insurance claim or not, and how that will impact me:

I live in a 700 sq ft condo..
Im concerned that if I try to replace this (hire someone), I may not be able to find the same laminate floor boards. If I can't....... then I need to replace the whole condo.... it needs to match. Replacing the whole condo I estimate in the $5k rannge.

Fixing the kitchen, if I can find the pieces, will probably be in the $1k-$2k range I think...

well heres the thing, insurance has a $1,000 deductible. And im not sure what that will mean to my premiums/insurability in the future.. has anyone dealt with these issues in the past.

22 replies

Oct 4th, 2020 3:01 pm

engineered: Deal Expert; Feb 11, 2007; 20695 posts; 24748 upvotes; GTA

Oct 4th, 2020 3:01 pm

Were you using Drain-O or other corrosive clog cleaners?

If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

+1

Oct 4th, 2020 4:00 pm

DoorCrasher: Deal Fanatic; Nov 21, 2013; 8128 posts; 9309 upvotes; Montréal

Oct 4th, 2020 4:00 pm

bernierydes wrote: ↑ hey everyone.
last night i noticed my floor was wet in the kitchen.
as i tried to determine the cause of the water leak, I found that a small hole had developed in the kitchen sing P-trap (j-trap). The copper/brass has corroded enough that a small hole was letting water leak through.
This must have been happening for a few days at least, cause I only felt the water in the floor yesterday.

anyway, I fixed the p-trap, but now my laminate flooring is "buckling". I have a heater blowing on it to help evaporate some of the water, but I fear that it's too late for these guys. even after they shrink up and lose the excess water, I don't see them going back to normal.

so I'm debating if I should make an insurance claim or not, and how that will impact me:

I live in a 700 sq ft condo..
Im concerned that if I try to replace this (hire someone), I may not be able to find the same laminate floor boards. If I can't....... then I need to replace the whole condo.... it needs to match. Replacing the whole condo I estimate in the $5k rannge.

Fixing the kitchen, if I can find the pieces, will probably be in the $1k-$2k range I think...

well heres the thing, insurance has a $1,000 deductible. And im not sure what that will mean to my premiums/insurability in the future.. has anyone dealt with these issues in the past.

Just an FYI had water damaged in kitchen. Water went through the floor, damaged basement ceiling. Called insurance, damaged been estimated to $4K, including $1K for the cleaning company. Ended up not claiming, with my $1K deductible. Paid $700 to the cleaning company, and invested less than $800 to repair basement ceiling and floor.

Insurance increase would have been worse than this for the next few years if I claimed, IMHO

+2

Oct 4th, 2020 6:32 pm

bernierydes [OP]: Banned; Sep 30, 2020; 66 posts; 76 upvotes

Oct 4th, 2020 6:32 pm

engineered wrote: ↑Were you using Drain-O or other corrosive clog cleaners?

never

DoorCrasher wrote: ↑
Just an FYI had water damaged in kitchen. Water went through the floor, damaged basement ceiling. Called insurance, damaged been estimated to $4K, including $1K for the cleaning company. Ended up not claiming, with my $1K deductible. Paid $700 to the cleaning company, and invested less than $800 to repair basement ceiling and floor.

Insurance increase would have been worse than this for the next few years if I claimed, IMHO

yeah I'm feeling the same way. were you able to find your flooring in store easily?
ive emailed management, i hope i can find this same flooring otherwise I'm screwed.

Oct 4th, 2020 8:04 pm

DoorCrasher: Deal Fanatic; Nov 21, 2013; 8128 posts; 9309 upvotes; Montréal

Oct 4th, 2020 8:04 pm

bernierydes wrote: ↑ never

yeah I'm feeling the same way. were you able to find your flooring in store easily?
ive emailed management, i hope i can find this same flooring otherwise I'm screwed.

Kitchen floor is eeramicac and had no damages. Basement Ffoor was vinyl tiles over plywood. Changed plywood, and installed vinyl planks

Oct 4th, 2020 8:34 pm

Shaner: Deal Expert; Jul 5, 2004; 27295 posts; 6665 upvotes

Oct 4th, 2020 8:34 pm

How does a corroded trap cause that much damage? Wouldn't you have noticed the water as soon as it started leaking onto the floor? It's not a constant water source, it would only leak when you ran the tap.

How much of your flooring needs to replaced? Surely you can do it for relatively cheap if it's just laminate. Contact the manufacturer if you can't find it in stores.

Oct 4th, 2020 8:55 pm

engineered: Deal Expert; Feb 11, 2007; 20695 posts; 24748 upvotes; GTA

Oct 4th, 2020 8:55 pm

bernierydes wrote: ↑ never

yeah I'm feeling the same way. were you able to find your flooring in store easily?
ive emailed management, i hope i can find this same flooring otherwise I'm screwed.

Wow, how old is the place? I'm guessing old since the p-trap is metal.

If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

Oct 4th, 2020 9:30 pm

hoob: Deal Fanatic; Jan 6, 2002; 6692 posts; 7367 upvotes; Toronto

Oct 4th, 2020 9:30 pm

engineered wrote: ↑ Wow, how old is the place? I'm guessing old since the p-trap is metal.

OP says condo so metal is required (assuming Ontario.)

Si Tacuisses, Philosophus Mansisses

Oct 4th, 2020 9:51 pm

engineered: Deal Expert; Feb 11, 2007; 20695 posts; 24748 upvotes; GTA

Oct 4th, 2020 9:51 pm

hoob wrote: ↑ OP says condo so metal is required (assuming Ontario.)

Ahh, good to know. Doesn't sounds like the metal is a good idea. Still curious how old it is. Perhaps previous owners used DrainO.

If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

Oct 4th, 2020 9:57 pm

mau_mau: Deal Addict; Feb 24, 2008; 3500 posts; 2199 upvotes; Mississauga

Oct 4th, 2020 9:57 pm

Something seems off
How can a leaky p trap cause that much damage?
Faucet would've had to have been running constantly

+1

Oct 4th, 2020 10:39 pm

IndyBeak: Deal Addict; Sep 13, 2016; 3581 posts; 2364 upvotes; Mississauga

Oct 4th, 2020 10:39 pm

mau_mau wrote: ↑Something seems off
How can a leaky p trap cause that much damage?
Faucet would've had to have been running constantly

Yup. But possible that OP was using kitchen sink regularly not aware of the leak below. Even a glass of water on these fabricated wood floors can cause bubbles and warps.

Oct 4th, 2020 10:41 pm

bernierydes [OP]: Banned; Sep 30, 2020; 66 posts; 76 upvotes

Oct 4th, 2020 10:41 pm

engineered wrote: ↑ Ahh, good to know. Doesn't sounds like the metal is a good idea. Still curious how old it is. Perhaps previous owners used DrainO.

it's 8 years old... guy at Lowes said this happens. At least he made it seem like a common problem.

Shaner wrote: ↑ How does a corroded trap cause that much damage? Wouldn't you have noticed the water as soon as it started leaking onto the floor? It's not a constant water source, it would only leak when you ran the tap.

How much of your flooring needs to replaced? Surely you can do it for relatively cheap if it's just laminate. Contact the manufacturer if you can't find it in stores.

i wish i did. but it leaked into the back

hoob wrote: ↑ OP says condo so metal is required (assuming Ontario.)

I didn't know that. Is there a reason? I ran out to lowes the night it happened cause I had stuff in the sink when I noticed it... They only had ABS I think it's called, or PVC.. it's black.... So I used that to replace the ptrap... and it fits fine.. but will need to change it to metal if that's the case.

mau_mau wrote: ↑ Something seems off
How can a leaky p trap cause that much damage?
Faucet would've had to have been running constantly

It's not a leaky P-trap. The p-trap formed a small hole at the bottom of it.
The water dripped down into the cabinet, but it didn't come out the front where I could see it. It went into a small hole that they used to feed water to the dishwasher at the back of the cabinet..... From there it leaked into the floor board.
I'm assuming it was at least 1-2 days worth of kitchen leaking, so if I asusme only p-trap water, maybe 4-6 full ptraps worth of water. The hole was right at the bottom of the p-trap.. so not only was it draining all the water in the p-trap, likely draining a good portion of regular water pouring down too.
I only noticed it when it was already in the floor.

Last edited by bernierydes on Oct 4th, 2020 10:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Oct 4th, 2020 10:51 pm

bernierydes [OP]: Banned; Sep 30, 2020; 66 posts; 76 upvotes

Oct 4th, 2020 10:51 pm

In hindsight, it's likely I nicked the p-trap when I was moving stuff around underneath, which caused the hole to form.
Because after I noticed the water leakage, I removed the p-trap, it literally disintegrated... At the bottom of the p-trap the metal basically flaked off.... So it was basically a ticking time bomb.

Oct 5th, 2020 10:38 am

engineered: Deal Expert; Feb 11, 2007; 20695 posts; 24748 upvotes; GTA

Oct 5th, 2020 10:38 am

bernierydes wrote: ↑ In hindsight, it's likely I nicked the p-trap when I was moving stuff around underneath, which caused the hole to form.
Because after I noticed the water leakage, I removed the p-trap, it literally disintegrated... At the bottom of the p-trap the metal basically flaked off.... So it was basically a ticking time bomb.

That shouldn't happen. It should last 50+ years. Must be some crap metal made from chinesium. Typical builder cheaping out.
Did you take any pics?

If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

Oct 5th, 2020 11:12 am

Kevin711: Sr. Member; Jan 7, 2006; 752 posts; 493 upvotes; Toronto

Oct 5th, 2020 11:12 am

I had the same thing happen with a p trap made of brass/copper/whatever metal it was in a condo built in 2001.

I stored a bucket under the sink and it just happened to fit the best under the ptrap so that saved me from water damage. Let me see if I can find a pic of my ptrap that disintegrated.

Last edited by Kevin711 on Oct 5th, 2020 1:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

+1

Oct 5th, 2020 12:36 pm

Bianco13: Deal Addict; Jan 23, 2015; 1341 posts; 983 upvotes; Woodbridge, ON

Oct 5th, 2020 12:36 pm

I've seen this happen before. This one failed at work, age about 14 years old.

+2

Oct 5th, 2020 1:04 pm

Shaner: Deal Expert; Jul 5, 2004; 27295 posts; 6665 upvotes

Oct 5th, 2020 1:04 pm

engineered wrote: ↑ That shouldn't happen. It should last 50+ years. Must be some crap metal made from chinesium. Typical builder cheaping out.
Did you take any pics?

Both traps in my kitchen completely disintegrated. I noticed a bit of water leaking under one of them. I pulled lightly on it and it came right off in my hand. I did the exact same to the other side. My house is only about 20 years old.

Oct 5th, 2020 2:33 pm

torontotim: Deal Fanatic; Nov 17, 2012; 5068 posts; 4617 upvotes; Toronto

Oct 5th, 2020 2:33 pm

I think rule of thumb is if the damage is <$5,000 (heck, maybe even <$10,000) it's not worth going through insurance. The deductible and 10 years of increased premiums will always end up being more than fixing things yourself.

Insurance becomes important if you damage someone else's property. Then their insurance company comes after your insurance company with wildly inflated repair costs and the insurance companies/lawyers/contractors get rich.

It's a giant racket right up there with car insurance repair quotes.

Oct 5th, 2020 2:37 pm

engineered: Deal Expert; Feb 11, 2007; 20695 posts; 24748 upvotes; GTA

Oct 5th, 2020 2:37 pm

Bianco13 wrote: ↑I've seen this happen before. This one failed at work, age about 14 years old.

Shaner wrote: ↑ Both traps in my kitchen completely disintegrated. I noticed a bit of water leaking under one of them. I pulled lightly on it and it came right off in my hand. I did the exact same to the other side. My house is only about 20 years old.

Wow, that's ridiculous. ABS is clearly the way to go. I wonder why condos require metal? Maybe electrical grounding or something?

If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

Oct 5th, 2020 2:53 pm

l69norm: Deal Expert; Jun 12, 2007; 20135 posts; 6455 upvotes; London

Oct 5th, 2020 2:53 pm

engineered wrote: ↑ Wow, that's ridiculous. ABS is clearly the way to go. I wonder why condos require metal? Maybe electrical grounding or something?

There are pretty stringent flammability/ smoke spread requirements in the building code for any plastic based construction materials used in high rise construction (non combustible construction)
3.1.5.16. Combustible Piping Materials
(1) Except as permitted by Clause 3.1.5.2.(1)(d) , Sentences (2) and (3), and Article 3.1.5.22., combustible piping and tubing and associated adhesives are permitted to be used in a building required to be of noncombustible construction provided that, except when concealed in a wall or concrete floor slab, they,
(a) have a flame-spread rating not more than 25, and
(b) if used in a building described in Subsection 3.2.6., have a smoke developed classification not more than 50.

3.1.5.2. Minor Combustible Components
(1) The following minor combustible components are permitted in a building required to be of noncombustible construction:
(a) paint,
(b) mastics and caulking materials applied to provide flexible seals between the major components of exterior wall construction,
(c) fire stop materials conforming to Sentence 3.1.9.1.(1) and Article 3.1.11.7.,
(d) tubing for pneumatic controls provided it has an outside diameter not more than 10mm,
(e) adhesives, vapour barriers and sheathing papers,
(f) electrical outlet and junction boxes,
(g) wood blocking within wall assemblies intended for the attachment of handrails, fixtures, and similar items mounted on the surface of the wall, and
(h) similar minor components.

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